Stunning new villa adds more value still to the fabulous Stiltz

The Stiltz in Swakopmund, perched ingeniously on raised wooden platforms in the Swakop River itself, has gained a magnificent new centrepiece villa to complement its capacity and quality. Danie Holloway once again the designer and builder-in-chief; this most visionary and entrepreneurial of builders has, over the last dozen years or so, been busy constructively endowing both the recreational and tourist marketplaces. His CV is impressive; firstly, in 1993, The Tug Restaurant, offering the most splendid seafood menu, to be found on the very seashore in Swakopmund, adjacent to the newly renovated and recently re-opened jetty; then, twelve months later, The Raft Restaurant, overlooking the famous lagoon area in neighbouring Walvis Bay; in 1999 there followed the Erongo Wilderness Lodge, dramatically set amongst granite boulders in pristine nature near Omaruru. Then in 2005 came The Stiltz, sitting in the Swakop River bed itself! Fascinatingly, of these four imaginative establishments, only the Tug - developed around an actual old oil-fired tug called the Danie Hugo, which ended its days in Walvis Bay port in 1984 - is not constructed on stilts. The Raft, completely surrounded by water amidst some of Southern Africa's most notable bird and sea life, is built on stilts in the lagoon and reached across a short bridge. At Erongo Wilderness Lodge, in order not to disturb its immediate environment, which forms part of the 200,000 hectare Erongo Mountain Nature Conservancy, the luxury tented chalets are also built on stilts, carefully placed among the rocks, boulders and vegetation, and only accessed by a system of wooden walkways.The Stiltz in Swakopmund, perched ingeniously on raised wooden platforms in the Swakop River itself, has gained a magnificent new centrepiece villa to complement its capacity and quality. Danie Holloway once again the designer and builder-in-chief; this most visionary and entrepreneurial of builders has, over the last dozen years or so, been busy constructively endowing both the recreational and tourist marketplaces. His CV is impressive; firstly, in 1993, The Tug Restaurant, offering the most splendid seafood menu, to be found on the very seashore in Swakopmund, adjacent to the newly renovated and recently re-opened jetty; then, twelve months later, The Raft Restaurant, overlooking the famous lagoon area in neighbouring Walvis Bay; in 1999 there followed the Erongo Wilderness Lodge, dramatically set amongst granite boulders in pristine nature near Omaruru. Then in 2005 came The Stiltz, sitting in the Swakop River bed itself! Fascinatingly, of these four imaginative establishments, only the Tug - developed around an actual old oil-fired tug called the Danie Hugo, which ended its days in Walvis Bay port in 1984 - is not constructed on stilts. The Raft, completely surrounded by water amidst some of Southern Africa's most notable bird and sea life, is built on stilts in the lagoon and reached across a short bridge. At Erongo Wilderness Lodge, in order not to disturb its immediate environment, which forms part of the 200,000 hectare Erongo Mountain Nature Conservancy, the luxury tented chalets are also built on stilts, carefully placed among the rocks, boulders and vegetation, and only accessed by a system of wooden walkways.

The Stiltz is, of course, in need of just those very wooden appendages that its name implies, for it has been constructed in the bed of the Swakop River, close to its final egress into the Atlantic Ocean. The flow of this ephemeral river, whose awakening is dependent on whatever often meagre rainfall is received in this driest of all sub-Saharan countries, and whose passage then takes it through the arid yet awesome landscapes of the Namib Desert, has not reached the coast since the year 2000. Not even during the 2005/2006 season of exceptional, wonderful rains that so blessed this awesome land. But should it one day roar, guests will remain content, high above the flow in their lofty fortresses. There are nine wooden chalets plus the new villa, all delicately poised above the verdant bush and reed growths beneath, giving visitors the most spectaculars vistas over the river bed, the adjacent riverine lagoon, the towering sand dunes of the Namib and, of course, the mighty Atlantic Ocean itself. Senses are at once filled with sea, sand, abundant birdlife and nature itself - an invigorating feeling of environments united.
These bungalows in the air, linked by meandering wooden walkways leading away from the reception area on terra firma, each assume a different character, a separate ambience, in their carefully laid out and intriguingly designed interiors. Much artistic use is made of wood, metals, stone and tiles, glass, rope, drapes, linens and materials, furniture hewn from local gum trees; these then all bound in an array of colours and shades that excite both the eye and the mind, ensuring these spacious chalet bungalows delight their occupants. Heaters are provided to warm those cooler coastal nights and days when nature and the Namib are recharged by moisture from the vital advective fogs swirling in from the ocean; piping hot water gushes from the showers; the mini bars are well stocked; comfortable settees and easy chairs beckon, whilst balconies open up the world. The new villa is at once sumptuous and stylish; such fascinating use of local wood, of raffia ceiling coverings, impressive glazed divisions sections and more have created some stunning top-of-the-range accommodation. Altogether, there are 3 twins, 4 doubles, one honeymoon bungalow, all accommodating 2 people each; a family bungalow, maximum 4 people, and now this luxury villa which accommodates up to six.
Danie's attractive manageress Catharina Hofmeister confidently imparts her great local knowledge and love of the Stiltz itself to the benefit of every guest; meanwhile Lucky Shipanga - in Danie's employ now for some nineteen years - and since October 2006 very much the jack, and master, of all trades here at The Stiltz - sums up his surroundings enthusiastically: "this place is so very, very nice. Most of all, the quite beautiful view of the ocean beyond." There is a large, intriguingly designed and pleasantly furnished meeting and eating area, once your feet are back on the ground; here Lucky and his colleague, Johnnie the chef, provide a magnificent breakfast of hot and cold delights, all served with a flourish and more.
Indeed, it is this eclectic mix of nature, the sea, the artistic, almost virtuoso design of the place, plus the immediate proximity of the delightfully quaint yet lively resort of Swakopmund which will surely bring visitors to The Stiltz from far and wide. It's not to be missed, for hearts here do definitely beat a little faster and a little stronger. Let Danie Holloway have the last word, with his very own slogan: "The Stiltz, for the romantic adventurer. Come and experience something totally different".


By Neil Digby-Clarke